INTERNATIONAL ROWING TURNS PROFESSIONAL “At the Barrier Molesey were still striking 40, and by sheer power they had drawn out to three-quarters of a length at the half-mile. Then they dropped to 37, and at once Oxford, also at 37, slowly began to close up. At Fawley, Oxford were two- thirds of a length behind, and at the mile post only half a length. “Gradually, up the enclosures Oxford worked their stroke up to 39, but Molesey always rated two strokes higher. And so Molesey came home by a third of a length in 6min. 35sec., five seconds outside the record set up by Cornell in 1957. It was Molesey’s race, but also a great performance by Oxford, who were giving many years of experience and three-quarters of a stone a man2968 in sheer strength.”2969 1960 Olympics For the Olympic Games, Oxford was selected for the eight while the Barn Cottage Eight was split into the two British fours. While the Coxed-Four failed to advance past the repêchages in Rome, the Coxless- Four of bow Mike Beresford, 6’0” 183cm 165lb. 75kg, 2 Colin Porter, 6’2” 189cm 181lb. 82kg, 3 John Vigurs, 6’5” 198cm 194lb. 88kg, and stroke Christopher Davidge, 6’0” 183cm 174lb. 79kg, set an Olympic record in a rough tailwind in their qualifying heat on Lago di Albano. Gushed The Times of London: “It is as if the British lion has woken up at last, lashed its tail and sprung to life. “Hungary led at 500 metres with Britain second. At 1,000 metres Hungary still led, but the United States were ahead of Britain. Hungary were ahead at 1,500 metres, but 2968 186 lb. 84 kg for Molesey versus 177 lb. 80 kg for Oxford. 2969 Fastest English Eights Well Matched, The Times of London, July 4, 1960 Britain, striking 40, put on the pressure, passed first the United States, then Hungary. “Just when one thought all was well, the crew hit a rough patch, faltered badly, recovered magnificently, and broke all ascertainable records when they won. It was an exhibition of self-discipline and courage which should put new heart into every British crew in the Games.”2970,2971 Porter: “The Americans won their repêchage, and we met them again in the final. “In our coxless boat, Beresford steered from the bow seat. One of the clogs into which his feet were strapped swiveled on the heel so that moving the toe from side to side manipulated the rudder through wires. However, experienced crews try to avoid using the rudder as obviously it takes some of the run off the boat. “Beresford and I, rowing bow and 2, were long accustomed to adjusting the pressure exerted on the oars to avoid using the rudder on straight courses. We had covered barely a quarter of the course when I noticed the boat was coming close to the bowside lane marker buoys. I eased up for a couple of strokes to bring the boat back towards the middle of the lane, but as soon as I applied full power again, we veered back towards the buoys. “The rest of the race was very frustrating for me, as I could not afford to row flat out for fear of bringing the boat into the buoys. Afterwards, we found out that Beresford had had a recurrence of the gastroenteritis which had crippled our crew in Poland two years earlier. This had cropped up in the three days between the 2970 World Record by British Coxless-Four, The Times of London, September 1, 1960 2971 For the American perspective on that heat, see Chapter 90. 833
